The Yankee set-up man continued his ALCS struggles in the 5-4 14-inning loss in Game 5 last night, kickstarting a Sox offensive surge that cost the Bombers their two-run, eighth-inning advantage.

“I wish I would have been able to hold that lead,” Gordon said.

Gordon has now allowed four runs in five ALCS innings. His worst offense, though, came last night.

Gordon’s night actually began in ideal fashion. With the Yanks up 4-2, runners on first and second and one out in the seventh, he induced MannyRamirez to bounce into an inning-ending 5-4-3 double play.

Gordon opened the eighth against David Ortiz, who had punished him in Game 1 with a two-run triple. This time, Ortiz didn’t have to stop at third. He crushed a mammoth blast off the Volvo sign overlooking the Green Monster.

“Just left a pitch over the plate,” Gordon said.

It was a 4-3 game now, but Gordon compounded the home-run pitch by forgetting where the strike zone was. He walked Kevin Millar, who was promptly replaced by pinch-runner Dave Roberts. Trot Nixon followed by slashing a single to center, putting runners at first and third with nobody out and Gordon in a whole heap of trouble.

At that point, Joe Torre couldn’t stomach any more, and with Jason Varitek due up, the manager called for Mariano Rivera. It was the third time in five games this series that the ace closer needed to come in to rescue Gordon in an eighth-inning spot.

Rivera technically blew the save when he allowed Varitek’s sac fly. But this was Gordon’s fault.

“It just didn’t go my way,” Gordon said.

To be fair, Gordon was pitching in his fifth straight game and on his third straight night. But although he had fired a combined 42 pitches in Games 3 and 4 he refused to use fatigue as an excuse. “This is what it’s all for,” he said. “I think the adrenaline kicks in and you forget about that.”

There’s some concern about Gordon’s availability for tonight, be he said, “I’m going to get ready.”